LOLA BERRY LOTUS DISPOSITION
Lola Berry admits to being a hopeless romantic when it comes to cars.
It began when the nutritionist and author inherited her mum’s 1985 bronze Honda Accord on her 18th birthday. Her mum had been given the car when Lola was born, so it had sentimental value. “I named her Harriet,” she says. Her interest in cars was also piqued by her stepdad, who raced Formula Fords and owned a silver Lotus Europa and a bright yellow Alfa Spider. “I convinced him to drop me to all my teenage parties in the Lotus Europa,” she says.
Unfortunately, the love affair with Harriet only lasted until they were both 22.
“I was in Melbourne and driving down Chapel St, which is one of the busiest streets, and it literally started smoking out of the top and we knew she was done,” she says.
Harriet was replaced by a 2003 Mini called Maggie May, painted in “red chilli” with a white roof and white wheels.
“It was cute. I’m little and short and at the time it suited me. I moved from Melbourne to Sydney and I packed my whole life into that car,” she says. She drove it for four years in Sydney and it also made the trek back to Melbourne with her.
“She’s had my back through some big life changes. I get sad when I have to say goodbye to them. I’m still sad about saying goodbye to the Mini,” she says.
As with many, she has finally succumbed to the temptation of an SUV. She now drives a Mitsubishi ASX, courtesy of a sponsorship deal. She says that the extra space comes in handy.
“There’s so much space in the Mitsubishi. I can throw my yoga mat in there, my laptop, outfits for shoots later on. I think it’s going to turn into a mobile work station,” she says.
But while the Mitsubishi, dubbed Mabel, definitely fits the bill for her current lifestyle, she also has a bucket-list car.
“I want to get a 1960s or ’70s Porsche 911. And I want a baby blue one with a handstitched leather interior.
“That’s my dream, a 911 but an old, beautiful one. There’s something really magical about them,” she says.
She has no illusions about the potential pitfalls of a classic, though. “I’ve been told I should start saving my pennies if that’s my taste. They’re like a racehorse; buying them is the cheapest part,” she says.
Berry definitely has an attraction to the faster things in life. Her current boyfriend races cars and she caught the speed bug when she was invited to the Melbourne Grand Prix.
As other guests sipped champagne in the corporate marquee, she was sniffing fumes. “I spent the entire time standing over pit lane. I was so fascinated by it all,” she says.